What Are The Chances?
by CordeiliaOllivander
Summary: A two week vacation with no one but herself. So what are the chances that Draco Malfoy would end up in the seat right next to her on her flight to Mexico? Pretty good by the looks of it! Will they finally admit their feelings everyone else has been annoyingly aware of, or will Blaise just have to see what he can do? Fun, romantic one-shot. Lemons and fluffy feelings all in one!


**A/N: Hello there! Just a random one-shot that's been in my head for a while. I'm trying to work through some writer's block on my other multi-chapter fics I've got going on. Hope you all enjoy! This one's full of fun and fluff, everyone's friends and over it, so if that's not your thing, oh well. I got quite the laugh out of some of these scenes! I really enjoyed the lightness of this one :)**

 **Warnings: Some lemons, smut and other fun things of that sort. Language might be factor, other than that... not much.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these wonderful characters.**

* * *

 **What Are The Chances?**

Hermione Granger needed to get away. Not that her life was awful, she knew she was better off than most.

She had friends. Her friendship with Harry, Ginny and Ron only grew stronger after the war. She met Neville for dinner every Friday. Harry to this day remained her best friend. The one she could go to with anything. Ginny was her sister in every way that mattered, even after her break up with Ron. Which, if she was honest with herself, should've happened way sooner than it did. She could laugh at the awkwardness of it all. The way they tried to be romantic when out to dinner, the way her nose would scrunch up after a long kiss. She enjoyed it, but it was _Ron_. Her friend, her brother, sometimes the bane of her existence. She should have recognized the signs earlier. No committed couple watches movies on the telly while they're home alone and laughs at the intimate scenes, then rolls over and falls asleep. Once they had admitted to themselves that a relationship just wouldn't work between them the awkwardness went away. Just like that. They stayed flat mates, their familiarity with each other comforting instead of annoying.

She had a great job. The work she had done for creature rights at the Ministry threw her into the spotlight with several different reporters plaguing her for interviews. She was nothing if not persistent. She had a plan, an agenda, and she would see her goal through if it was the last thing she did. She poured over books and laws and research until she could recite it all by memory. She stormed the courtrooms and demanded laws be changed and had the research to prove her points. She would attack from several different angles until she found something that worked.

She advocated for werewolf rights, in honor of Remus Lupin. She continued her work for the equal treatment of house elves for Dobby. A small smile crossed her face every time she thought of that project. It was her first one and even she could see how silly she had been in Hogwarts; but now she understood that even though most elves didn't wish to be free, they should still be treated with care and respect. Dobby was an exceptional elf and she would fight for others like him. She stood toe to toe with the Romanian Ministry when it came to the fair treatment of dragons, not to mention the workers on the dragon reserve. Then again with the French Ministry when Fleur applied for a position as liaison between the French and British Ministries, but was turned down for the position because of her Veela heritage.

She had money. Good Godric did she have money. Which she refused to touch. The Ministry had awarded several members of the Order with monetary gifts after the war, like that would heal the damage. As if that could replace everything that was lost. The restitution's that were taken from the convicted Death Eaters was more than enough to cover the damages that were caused, and she didn't care for the thought of her "gift for her efforts" being money that was taken from someone else. No, the money that she earned herself was what she used, and having moved up so quickly in her department meant that she had her fair share. She never did anything without thinking it through, she never spent it on nonsense, and she always had a budget and a savings and always did what was practical before she did what was wanted.

Which was why she had shocked the hell out of her friends when she had told them last week that she had planned a vacation for herself… to the other side of the world.

* * *

Draco Malfoy needed to get away. Not that his life was awful, he knew he was better off than most.

He was grateful that his life had turned out the way it did. He knew people that had everything taken from them. He still had both of his parents, still had the Manor, he still had significant amounts of money, he has never set foot in Azkaban, and most of all, he was alive.

His families "efforts" during the war that lead to the down fall of Voldemort turned out to be his saving grace. His father never fought in the final battle, hell the man didn't even have a wand! His mother had lied to the snake-faced bastard and in turn tipped the scales to the light. Draco, in his fear and discarded hope, had refused to identify Potter, causing them to be able to formulate a plan and escape their capture. His father only had to serve two years house arrest, and only had to pay a third of what the other Death Eaters had to in restitution. Draco, upon giving his memories of the night he had become a Death Eater, was thankfully not charged at all. His vaults had remained untouched, and to this day he had no idea why. He was a Death Eater, he was branded with the Dark Mark, and surely the Ministry would have demanded something. Yet they didn't, so who was he to worry about it?

So with his help, his mother had re-done the entire bloody Manor from top to bottom, not wanting any reminders of the dark that was now behind them. It made her happy, so of course he complied. After that fiasco was finished, he found that he was quite bored. What was he supposed to do with his time? Wanting a challenge, he decided to become a lawyer, much to his father's disapproval. _Malfoy's do not work for their money._ This was true, he didn't need to work, he didn't even find the idea of work appealing, but he was downright bored. So he threw caution to the wind and went on to study law, eventually getting a job at the Ministry. He would never admit that he was surprised, he had the highest marks, so truthfully they couldn't deny him a job. But he was a Malfoy, and shit always seemed to happen because of that.

He was even more surprised when he realized that he actually enjoyed it. He was good at it. His inner Slytherin would scream with joy when he found the perfect loophole to a case, or that look the courtroom would get when they knew that he had won, or when people finally started to recognize that he knew what he was doing, that he worked hard and was rewarded with winning cases. He quickly moved up to be one of the top lawyers in the Ministry, eventually getting the more difficult cases. The cases that should have been lost. He took any case that was presented to him, being the pompous jackass that he was, to prove that he knew everything about everything. He had taken case after case for the last five years. He enjoyed the rush, he really did, but now he was ready for a break. Being a Malfoy was no longer associated with negative things, which he only had himself to thank for that. His father had stayed to himself most of the time, letting his politician days be behind him. Draco had been the one to get back out there and dig the family name out of the mud. He deserved a bloody vacation.

Which is why he had told his best, yet annoying, friend Blaise Zabini he would take him up on his offer for a vacation… to the other side of the world.

* * *

Hermione stood outside of her designated gate waiting for her flight. Harry had come with her to see her off, which she appreciated.

"You really didn't have to come with me, Harry."

"I know that, I'm just gonna miss you. What am I gonna do without you?"

"Oh, Harry. You'll be fine." She said with a roll of her eyes. "It's only two weeks."

"Exactly! It's two weeks!" He huffed.

His concern made her laugh, he really was being ridiculous. When her flight was finally called to board she gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. As she walked away with a small wave she began mentally going over her luggage. After handing her boarding pass over to the attendant she boarded the plane to find her seat. It was a long flight, so she decided to splurge and fly first class, something she's never done before.

"12 B." She mumbled over and over. She chose a seat in the middle, having flown numerous times, and thought she would be nice and hopefully someone that has never been on a plane would be lucky enough to get a window seat. Almost in the middle of the plane she found her seat and sighed. The ticket was expensive, but it was worth it. The wide black leather seats looked like heaven. Each row only had four seats since the personal space each one offered was so grand. One by each window, and two in the middle with an aisle on each side. A fluffy white pillow and plush creamy white blanket were folded neatly on each seat. A small dim reading lamp attached to the top of her seat, and a partitioned wall separated the seating area of the space next to her.

She plopped down and immediately began to play around with the buttons on her chair. It laid completely flat and could also sit like a recliner. A small personal television was on the wall in front of her, with a folding table that could glide across the partitioned wall to rest in front of her. Her reclining chair had a cup holder and a set of very nice noise cancelling headphones. She lifted the small compartment door that was located under her seat and stowed away her dark brown leather satchel, and kept her travel purse with her, since it contained everything she thought she would need to keep her entertained on the flight. She settled in and made herself comfortable, even thinking about being a little crazy and ordering an alcoholic drink when they took off. Smiling at her boldness, she mindlessly flipped through the movies that would be offered during the flight while she waited for the other passengers to board.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Draco grumbled as he handed his boarding pass to the woman with the fake smile. _Please_ , was that the best she could do? Pathetic.

"I do believe that you came to me, Mate." Blaise answered with a sly smile. He gave his ticket to the lovely woman at the counter and gave her a wink.

Draco watched as her entire face changed. Rolling his eyes impatiently, he waited for his friend so he could follow him onto this death trap, since Draco had no idea what the hell he was doing.

"Let the fun begin!" Blaise slapped his shoulder as he walked by. "You're seat 12 C." Blaise reminded him.

"I can read." Draco huffed. He looked around when he was in the death trap and was slightly impressed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. He went halfway down the aisle and found the twelfth row. Blaise shoved him down into his seat, while he took the one next to the window.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You looked lost. I was helping you find your seat." Blaise chuckled.

"Draco?!"

Draco's entire body went stiff. He whipped around to see the very familiar, very shocked face of Hermione Granger. Conveniently sitting in the seat right next to his.

"Granger?"

Hermione's eye got wide. Holy shit. What was Draco Malfoy doing on a plane? On her flight! _What?_

"Hey! Small world." Blaise shouted from across the aisle.

She looked up to see a very amused Blaise Zabini. "Zabini."

The man pouted. "Why am I Zabini and he's Draco?"

"We've worked together. Several times." She turned her attention back to the blonde man next to her. The very handsome blonde man next to her. Oh, this wasn't good. It would almost be easier if she still hated him. Almost. "What in Godric's name are you doing here?"

"What does it look like, Granger? I've decided to take a much needed vacation, and my idiot friend talked me into traveling on this death trap."

Hermione looked around with wide eyes. "Lower your voice." She hissed. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. This was going to be a terribly long flight. What were the chances? Really…

"Draco has never been on a plane before. He ever so kindly invited himself on my vacation so I booked him a flight as well."

"That's not true." He said, shaking his head at Hermione, then turning to Blaise. "That's not true. I did not invite myself."

Blaise waved his hand. "Whatever. Anyway, here we are!"

Hermione was staring at the both of them, her mouth slightly parted in shock. "Have you flown on a plane before, Zabini?"

"Blaise. Say it with me. Blaise." He said slowly, making her scowl at him. My, she was a pretty little thing when she was mad. He could see why Draco had a thing for her. "To answer your question, yes. I have. I quite like it."

"Why?" She wasn't sure what she was asking really. Why were they here? Why did he prefer to fly the muggle way? Why did they have to be seated right next to her? Really, an answer to any of these would suffice.

Before he answered her question, a flight attendant in a short navy blue skirt and tight flitting white blouse walked by, swaying her hips as she did so. Blaise stared after her, wondering how long it would take for him to get her alone.

Draco saw all of this and rolled his eyes. He looked over at Hermione, who saw it as well. "Blaise will fuck anything that walks upright."

"Hey! I appreciate the human form." He corrected.

"The human form?" She questioned, not missing how he didn't specify a male or female body.

Catching her meaning, he flashed her a wicked grin. "Beauty is beauty, Hermione."

She couldn't help the way one side of her lips curled into a smile. "Couple's retreat then?"

Blaise barked out a laugh at the same time Draco shouted "NO." Making her laugh at the both of them.

"Maybe you should switch seats with Blaise, then! Since he's flown before, then you can get the window seat!"

Just as Draco was about to dispute that a female voice came out of nowhere and began speaking.

"Too late." Blaise said with a wink. He then turned his full attention to the busty flight attendant he had spotted earlier.

Watching Blaise, Draco looked towards the front of the death trap and watched the woman from earlier. He could feel his anxiety rising, he had no idea what this woman was talking about. _Seat belts? Flotation device?_ Out of instinct he reached for his pocket to feel if his wand was still there. To hell with secrecy, if this death trap was well on its way to diving into the ocean he was blasting the shit out of it and getting the hell out of here.

Hermione held in her giggles as she watched the fear on Draco's face. He was so nervous. Did Blaise not explain to him what was going to happen? Judging by the smirk on his face she highly doubted it. As the plane lurched forward and began to move down the runway Draco looked like he was going to be sick. As amusing as it was, she couldn't let him suffer like this. She lowered the partition that separated their seats, making him jump. He really was nervous. She reached for his cold, clammy hand and intertwined their fingers. He gripped her hand tightly, letting out a deep breath as he did so.

"The plane has to travel down a long road called a runway to pick up speed." She whispered. "It's going to go really, really fast then lift up into the air. It might feel odd to you, but I promise it's okay. It's all very normal."

He nodded. If he opened his mouth he thought he would be sick, and how embarrassing would that be? Just as she had said, the death trap began moving really fast, making his breathing heavy.

"Deep breaths. It's okay." She said to him, holding his hand a little tighter. Then the whole bloody thing was in the air, and he was pushed backwards by the force of it. Thank Salazar it was quick. Once they leveled out he couldn't really tell that they were even moving. His heart was still pounding, but he didn't feel as terrified, so that was something. Hermione moved to pull her away from his but he held on tight. Instead of fighting it, she gave him a reassuring smile and began to mess with the buttons on… something… making the screen thing in front of her change.

"So where are you going on your little vacation?"

"Mexico." He answered weakly.

Her face whipped around to meet his so fast he thought she would've hurt her neck.

"Where in Mexico?"

"Cabo San Lucas!" Blaise said with excitement.

Hermione paled. She hadn't really thought they would be going to the same place. This flight had a layover, they could have been going anywhere. But no, why would they be? The fates hated her today.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you'll have some company then!"

"What's he talking about?" Draco asked her. His brain wasn't working and he hated missing what was going on.

"Apparently we're going to the same…" She looked up at Blaise. "Where are you staying?!"

" _Belleza_. It's the best." He said with a shrug, turning his attention to yet another flight attendant.

She groaned and ripped her hand away from Draco's to cover her face. Was this really happening? Alright, she could do this. It wasn't like she had to see them at all. It was a huge resort and a huge tourist city and knowing what she did about Blaise he would most likely be dragging Draco from place to place to play wing-man. He would certainly have no problems there, she thought with a scowl. No use in lying to herself, Draco Malfoy was gorgeous. He would have women throwing themselves at him left and right. Well, that was just fine with her. She was going to do exactly what she had planned to do. She was going to shop and read and lay beach side and sip some fruity little cocktail and not think about the man that has no idea he stole her heart.

What in the bloody hell was going on? Did that mean that they were all staying at the same resort? He would be on the other side of the world with Hermione Granger? Part of him wondered if somehow Blaise had orchestrated this entire thing, but the prat doesn't have enough blood in his body to function both his brain and his dick. No one else that they knew would be around. He wondered how long her vacation was. He prayed to anyone that was listening that it was for the entire two weeks that he was going to be there. For some reason the fates were giving him this opportunity, and he wasn't going to waste it. What were the chances of the only woman that he's ever loved being in the same place as him without any outside interruptions? Oh no, he wasn't wasting this.

* * *

A little while later one of the attendants came around with a cart full of stuff. Hermione decided to be bold and asked for a vodka cranberry and a bottle of water. She needed something to take the edge off of sitting next to Draco Malfoy for the next eleven hours. Once she had her drink, she grabbed a book from her bag and reclined her chair, getting nice and cozy with the soft plush blanket.

After their meal was served Hermione felt pretty relaxed. The flight was surprisingly smooth and she didn't feel nervous anymore. It was quiet and she was cozy so she decided to take a nap. They still had several hours before they arrived at their layover airport, so why not?

Draco tried to be as un-obvious as possible as he watched her. The way she curled right up and began to drift off was something he'd never seen before, and he didn't want to take any chances. Blaise was off finding his latest conquest he was sure, since he hadn't seen the man in about twenty minutes. After he was sure she was asleep, he picked up his book that he'd brought and began to read.

He wasn't sure if she had even realized, but she never put the partitioned wall back up between their seats. If he got close enough it was almost like they were together. He tried not to think about how pathetic that sounded, and instead inched closer to her. She must have sensed the movement, he was just about to back away when she rested her head on his shoulder. She curled her feet under her and put most of her weight on him as she got comfortable again. With a smile he adjusted the blanket around her shoulders and let her lean on him while he read. His own eyes started to droop and he let his book fall to his lap as he rested his cheek on top of her head.

He had no idea how long they had slept for when he was jerked awake.

"What the hell was that?"

"Turbulence." Blaise answered without looking up. "If you had been paying attention there's a storm and we're circling the airport until we can land."

Draco just stared at him. He had no idea what the hell any of that meant.

"What time is it?" He heard Hermione ask.

He glanced down at his watch but knew that wouldn't be the correct time. He checked the screen thing in front of him as she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. "Six-thirty."

"What?! The next plane departs at seven-thirty! Why are we still in the air?" Just as she finished her question she felt the plane jerk violently. "Ugh, seriously?" She groaned.

"Don't worry, we still have plenty of time. We're just circling the airport until we can land." Blaise assured her.

Hermione sighed. There was really nothing she could do about it. She stretched a little more then began to pack up her things, the second she could get off this plane she wanted to be ready. She did not fancy the run she was going to have to do to get to the proper gate on time.

"What is turbulence?" Draco whispered to her.

"It's just a fancy word for air flow. Sometimes it makes the trip a little bumpy."

"How can air be bumpy?"

She smiled at him. "It's just the way the air flows, it's nothing to be concerned about. What you should be worried about is if we'll be able to get our next flight in time."

"We have to get on another death trap after this one?"

She could hear Blaise laughing from across the aisle and glared at him. "Seriously, did you tell him nothing?"

"Now what fun would that be?"

* * *

"We are so late!" Hermione said she dragged Draco by the hand as the three of them ran down the terminal to their next plane. She could hear the last call for their flight over the intercom and they still had four more gates to go. "Damn it!"

"Hermione, you're going to rip my arm out!" Draco said to her, even though he knew she wasn't paying attention, she was lost in the moment. She often did that when she was concentrating on something. He had always found it cute, except now she was dragging him around and he wasn't amused by it at all. Nope. Not one bit.

She called out to the woman that was just beginning to close the door to their plane as she ran up to them.

"I'm sorry, but boarding for this flight has finished." She said with a fake smile.

"But our flight was delayed due to the weather! I have my boarding pass right here!"

"Ma'am, I cannot-"

Hermione was so done. " _Imperio._ " She whispered.

She watched with a slight smirk as the woman's entire demeanor changed.

"So sorry, let me get that for you." She moved to open the door and let the three of them board after scanning their tickets.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" Draco hissed at her the second they found their seats.

"Oh, calm down. It was harmless."

"You can't even tell me you weren't thinking the same thing." Blaise said to him.

"I wasn't!" Draco said honestly. He had no idea what is Salazar's name was going on, so he had no clue what the big deal was.

"Really? Hmm. Well, if she didn't do it I would have. There's no way I fancy waiting around for another flight."

"Exactly!" Hermione said with triumph.

* * *

Thankfully this flight was short. As she gathered up her things she waited for the two idiots that had not shut up for the last hour and walked down to the baggage claim with them. She watched Draco with fascination as his face lit up in wonder as he looked at everything, now that he had the time to. They each grabbed a black suitcase and she began to walk away.

"Don't you need your luggage?" Blaise asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I have everything here." She held up her leather bag and rolled her eyes when they didn't believe her. "Honestly, are you wizards or not? Have you never heard of an undetectable extension charm?"

At their dumbfounded faces she smiled and walked up to Blaise and patted him on the cheek. "This is why I'm smarter than you." She turned and walked right by Draco. "I always knew I was smarter than you." She called over her shoulder.

She broke out at a run when she heard foot steps behind her. Draco grabbed her by the waist and spun her around.

"Draco! Put me down!" She laughed out.

"Let's go you two." Blaise said as he strolled by. "I want to check in so I can have some fun!"

"You didn't have enough on the death trap?" Draco asked with a smirk as he set Hermione down but kept his arm around her shoulders.

"Plane! Can't you just call it what it is?" Hermione scolded.

Once they got to the resort, after the most hilarious ride on a shuttle bus she had ever had, Hermione walked up to the front desk and checked in. She waited around for them, because honestly she just had to know which room they would be in. She would bet her life that they were right across the hall from each other. Hermione watched as Blaise did the talking, trying not to snicker at how awkward Draco looked. It's like he's never been anywhere! Checking into a muggle resort wasn't at all different from a wizarding one.

"What's your room number?" She asked Blaise the second he took his key card.

"422. Yours?" He asked as he checked the card.

"214." She tried her best to mask her disappointment. Why was she disappointed? This was her vacation, the one she was supposed to spend completely alone.

"I'm sorry, are you all together? I would be happy to change your rooms." The woman from behind the the counter said to them.

"Oh, no-"

"That would be so kind of you." Blaise whipped around and flashed her his most gorgeous smile. "You see, in our haste to plan our getaway we neglected to ask for adjoining rooms. Is there any way that's possible, Doll?"

The poor girl blushed, and Hermione knew she was done for.

"That's really-"

"A great idea." Draco finished for her with a wink.

It only took a moment, and then Draco ripped her old key card out of her hand and handed it back to the concierge.

"Here you are! Room 424. You'll want to go down that hallway then turn left and you'll see the elevators. Fourth floor on the right. Enjoy your stay." She said brightly.

"Thank you, so much. You'll remember those directions for later when your off, Yes?" Blaise flashed another smile then turned to see Hermione's scowl and Draco's smirk. "Let's go you two. The fun awaits!"

"Is he always like this?" Hermione said to Draco as Blaise walked by.

"Yes. Yes he is." Draco nodded towards the hallway that lead to their rooms and followed Blaise.

The second she spotted her door she slid the card in and went inside quickly, shutting the door behind her. She let out a deep breath as she slumped against the door. What the hell was she going to do now? She moved to walk to her bed and check out the room when another door opened and nearly smacked her in the face. "Granger! That was rude!" Blaise said as he burst into her room.

"Blaise!" Draco called from their room. "Get your ass back in here!"

"Yes, Blaise! Go away!" With a shove he stumbled back into their room and she slammed the door.

"See you around, Hermione!" She heard him shout.

Running her fingers through her hair, she walked back to the bed and plopped down. Get it together! Leaning up on her elbows She finally took a look around. The room was beautiful. The creams and tans of the furniture and comforter made it inviting, and caramel colored hardwood floors and the matching tables were warm and comforting. Teals and sea greens decorated the room in the form of paintings and throw pillows. The canopy bed had white sheer curtains tied to each post to give it a nice beachy feel.

Her room also had vaulted ceilings with exposed wood beams in that same rich caramel color. Her private balcony overlooked the ocean and had two of the most comfortable looking chairs she'd ever seen, along with walls on each side made out of thick wooden planks to offer privacy. The glass doors leading to the balcony slid open to nearly the entire length of the room, and there were curtains to separate the balcony from the room as well, which she loved. She could hear the waves crash against the beach, and it made her relax.

Her bathroom was just as beautiful. The subtle creams and teals and greens carried through, making it all tie together. There were candles everywhere she noticed, she might just have to light those later on tonight, she was sure the entire room would be breathtaking. Deciding to unpack, she put her clothes away and set up the bathroom. It was late, but she didn't want to waste any time here. Pulling out a beachy sundress she headed to the shower to wash off the feeling of traveling all day.

She headed to the outdoor resort restaurant, intending to get a drink and watch the waves. The concierge said the pools were open all night to guests that had the advantage of booking a stay with additional liberties. All she had to do was have her key card and she could access the private pool area whenever she wished. She sat and watched the ocean, sipping her fruity little cocktail with a pink umbrella, loving the sound of the waves.

The beach was empty since it was now dark, the only light coming from a few tiki lamps and the moon light. She slipped off her sandals and headed down to the beach. The sand was still a little warm on her feet and it felt so nice. She walked the length of the beach, along the shore line and let the warm water lap against her ankles. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smelling the ocean air. She loved everything about this moment. Realizing she was actually quite tired, she finished her drink and headed back up to her room. She could explore the resort all she wanted tomorrow.

Draco watched her from his own private balcony. Blaise had gone off in search of that concierge, and left him alone. Which really was just fine by him, he didn't need the hassle of Blaise trying to get laid every ten minutes. Draco helped himself to the alcohol in their minibar and watched Hermione as she walked up and down the beach. Every once in a while she would splash the water with her foot, making him smile. He wondered what she was thinking right now. He dragged one hand down his face, realizing how exhausted he was. How on earth Muggles could function after the near death experience of being in that damn de-plane was beyond him.

* * *

Hermione woke slowly the next morning. Deciding to order room service instead of heading down to search for breakfast she placed her order and then changed into a short pale yellow sundress with spaghetti straps. Throwing her hair into a high messy bun she walked out to the patio and leaned against the railing. The view was simply breathtaking. She couldn't wait to-

"Good morning."

The voice made her jump. She turned to see Draco leaning over his balcony smiling at her.

"Hello." She said as she stared at him.

"Nice view, isn't it?" He turned to look back at the water. "Sure beats the dark and damp of home."

"Did you really invite yourself on Blaise's vacation?"

He looked at her and saw her smile and relaxed. "No. He's been bugging me for about two years now. Says I've forgotten what it's like to have a little fun."

"Mmm. I've heard that once or twice myself. Is he not awake yet?" She nodded towards the room.

Draco snorted. "Merlin, no. He was up pretty late... doing things."

"With you in the room?!"

"I can cast fairly decent concealment and silencing charms, Hermione. Besides, it's nothing I haven't been through before. We shared a dormitory at Hogwarts."

"Do you want to come over for breakfast? I ordered room service." The question was out before she even knew what she was saying.

"I'll be over in a minute." With a soft smile he went back into his room.

As she stood there frozen like a fool a knock on her door brought her back to reality. She opened it and allowed the server to set up her meal on the patio. Draco entered through the adjoining door just after he left.

"I'm glad I ordered juice and coffee since I have company now." She told him.

"I could have found my way down to wherever the restaurant is."

"Don't be silly, this is fine. Did you sleep well? I mean..." she flushed as she remembered Blaise had brought someone back to their room.

"I did. I think I was too exhausted to care." He snagged a piece of bacon from the plate as he watched her add one cream and three sugars to a cup of coffee, then handed it to him.

"How did you know that?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know how I like my coffee?"

She looked up at him, a little startled. "I... I guess I must have seen you make it before." To her surprise, he didn't say anything more. She watched as he transfigured a spoon into a fork and helped himself to a slice of pancake off her plate.

"What are your plans for today?"

"Oh, I thought I would walk around a little, maybe shop. That beach is really calling my name though. You?"

"Absolutely no idea. I suppose I'll wander around until Blaise wakes up, then figure it out."

"Oh we should check out the place together!" _What? No! Stop talking!_

"Sure you want to? This was supposed to be your trip away from everyone?"

"It'll be fun."

They finished their shared breakfast while making small talk about the trip so far. Hermione told him there were tons of things to do if he wanted to keep busy, or he could just lay around on the beach all day. Personally Draco wanted to do whatever Hermione was doing, but he couldn't really tell her that. Since he was already to go they headed out together to take a look around.

They walked around the resort, looking at everything they could. The resort was huge and it easily took an hour to walk around it all, then they headed down to the beach to walk by the water. Draco couldn't shake the feeling of her hand in his from yesterday when she was dragging him around the airport, and was itching to reach out and hold it again. Hermione seemed clueless though, as she rambled on about anything that came to mind. She talked about work, which Draco didn't mind at all. She was good at what she did and should be proud of the work she's done. Then she talked about how excited she was about being an aunt again, since Ginny was pregnant with her second child. After that she talked about how she thought she should finally move out of the flat she shared with Ron, since he and Romilda seemed to be getting serious.

"Romilda?"

"Romilda Vane. It's actually quite funny that they ended up together." She said with a giggle. "He would never say anything, but it's got to be a little awkward with me living there."

"Why don't you have a boyfriend, Hermione?" He blurted out. "You haven't dated since you and Weasley split three years ago."

She was surprised by his question. What was she supposed to say? Because nothing else feels right? Because she goes in early and stays late pathetically hoping to get a glimpse of him? Because she doesn't want anyone else? "I guess I haven't found the right person."

"What would this person have to be like?" He asked as he glanced over at her.

"He would have to know how to work hard, for one."

"Mhm."

"And then he would have to accept my friends, I couldn't be with anyone that couldn't see that. He would have to enjoy books, and quiet, and nights in. But he would also have to know how to have fun, and sing karaoke at parties and make silly bets on silly things. He would have to be willing to catch me when I fall."

Draco stopped walking and looked at her. He could be those things. He knew how to work hard and knew what hard work brought you. He knew her friends and he could get along with most of them, it's not like they hated each other anymore. He's dealt with Potter and Weasley his fair share of times during cases, and they had all grown to be friendly over the years. Even spending weekends at each other's homes. He liked books and quiet. He wasn't sure what karaoke was, but he knew that he could make a bet on anything. And most of all he knew that he would always catch her if she ever fell.

"Draco!"

He snapped out of his thoughts just as she splashed him as she kicked the water.

He got a wicked grin on his face and he could see the moment she figured out she should be running.

"Draco." She said slowly. "Don't even."

"Don't even what?" He asked innocently as he slowly walked towards her.

She decided to make a run for it, screaming as she did so. Silly witch.

He caught up with her quickly and grabbed her by the waist as he threw them both into the water.

"Draco!" She scolded as she came up for air, throwing her arms around his neck to pull herself up.

He swam with her out a little deeper, then brought his hands to her waist. "Hmm?"

"I'm all wet now." She pouted.

"Wow. And people think you're smarter than me?"

"Oh shut it." She smacked his chest, making the water splash into her own face. He couldn't help but laugh at her.

She realized she had never really heard him laugh before. She liked it. She liked it when he smiled. This carefree Draco she really wanted to get to know. All too soon she saw how close she actually was to him, but he wasn't pulling away so she wasn't going to either.

"Do you think Blaise is awake yet? We'll have to go back and change."

"I have no idea. He should be."

"We could come back in swimsuits if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." He reluctantly let her go so they could walk back to their resort, soaking wet.

* * *

Once Draco got back to his room, he saw Blaise was awake and lounging half naked on the bed.

"And where have you been?" He asked as he eyed Draco's wet clothes.

"I threw Hermione into the water, getting myself wet in the process." He pulled open a drawer and pulled out his swim shorts and a fresh t shirt then headed to the bathroom.

"Going back to the beach?"

"Yea."

"Maybe I'll join you in a bit. I've worked up quite the appetite now."

Draco chuckled as he walked out of the bathroom. "I bet you have."

"Are you planning on doing anything about this little infatuation you have, Draco?" Blaise asked seriously.

"I thought I would. She didn't pull away earlier when we were in the water."

"If she didn't want you around I'm fairly certain she would tell you. Just do it already."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking advice on love from you."

"Ahh, is that what this is? Love? You fancy yourself in love with Hermione Granger?"

"Blaise." The words laced with warning. "Leave it alone."

"Did she lock the door? If she didn't lock the door she fancies you, too."

Before Draco could stop him Blaise ripped open the adjoining door to her room. "Hermione! Draco's bothering me!" He said dramatically as he walked into her room. To his mild disappointment she was fully clothed.

"Really, do I have to separate you two?" She joked as she bent down to adjust her sandal.

"Please! You can have him, I want my own room." Blaise said with a wink. "Going to the beach, Yes?"

"That's the plan."

"Babysit him for me, I'll be down in a while. I need to refuel."

To Draco's surprise Hermione laughed at him. "Let's go." She grabbed her bag and Draco's hand and headed out the door, leaving Blaise standing in her room with a smile.

Once they made it out of the room, she let go of his hand to instead place it in the crook of his arm. He smiled and escorted her that way all the way back down to the beach. She found them a covered cabana with over stuffed pillows and plopped down onto the soft mattress. He crawled up next to her and she sat down and began pulling things out of her beach bag.

"How much stuff did you bring?"

"Not much. A few books, some money, a towel, flip flops, a hat, some sunscreen, sunglasses and a few extra hair ties."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Only essentials, then?"

She shoved his shoulder and took out the tube of sunscreen, then pulled out her glasses.

"What is that?"

"It's my sunscreen. It's a lotion that protects my skin from the sun."

He grabbed the tube out of her hand and investigated it. He squeezed some of it onto his hands and grimaced at the feel of it. "This is disgusting. Seriously, are you a witch or not?" He mocked.

He glanced around and noticing there were hardly any people around the beach yet he drew out his wand and cast a protective charm on himself and her. "There, now put this away. It feels gross."

"Yes, Sir. Ready to go swimming?"

"Sure."

They both stood up and she removed her cover up that she wore to reveal her plum colored bikini, while he stripped off his t shirt. He took out his own pair of black sunglasses and tossed his shirt and wallet into her bag. She took a moment to soak him in. He simply looked amazing. Having never seen him this way before, she noticed how tan he was. Well, as tan as Draco Malfoy could be. She had just assumed his pale skin would blind her. Instead, he had a surprisingly sun kissed glow to him, which she found very appealing since it made his blonde hair and grey blue eyes stand out. His navy blue shorts only added to his appeal.

He glanced over at her and had to remember to breathe. The dark plum of her bathing suit went with her perfect olive skin so well. Her huge brown sunglasses and still slightly damp hair worked so well on her. As he stared at her gorgeous body, realizing just how much more beautiful she was, he noticed she was also staring at him.

"See something you like?" He smirked.

"Not really, Blaise isn't here yet." She retorted.

"Oh please, I'm way better looking than Blaise." He scoffed as they made their way down to the water.

"I don't know, Draco. Tall, dark skin, a smile that can melt hearts everywhere. Plus, he's got a bit of an accent, don't you think?" She threw a smile at him from over her shoulder and he laughed at her.

"Don't make me throw you in the water again."

She waded into the water, going in until it was above her waist then sank down into the warm water all the way to her neck. Draco followed her out a ways and swam next to her, enjoying his vacation immensely.

"So what made you finally take Blaise up on his offer?"

"I have no idea. I didn't until the last minute. I've been going non stop for five years."

"I feel that way, too."

"You, Hermione Granger, have single-handedly made my job harder, so you don't get to have a little pity party."

"Me? What are you talking about?"

"Do I you know how many laws you've gotten passed since you've taken that position? Seventeen!" He said before she could answer. "And what is it that I do? I'm a lawyer, I've taken every single one of your cases to court."

"That's not true." She retorted. "Charlie's-"

"Was originally handled by Terry Boot, Yes. After his wife had their first child I took it over and finished it."

"He also did the werewolf case!"

"Partially. He started the ground work, but I took that one to court, too. I noticed you were absent by the way. Thought for sure you'd be there for that one."

"I wanted to be, but Ginny had a championship game and I didn't want to disrespect her. She was really excited about it. Her first win with the Harpies."

"I remember." He noticed her face fell a little as she thought back to the game. "Hey, I know that face."

"What face?"

He swam over to her and stood up beside her so the water was lapping against his chest. "The one you make when you're disappointed in yourself. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Hermione. The law that you helped create passed and you've done more for that community in recent years than the wizarding world has in centuries."

"It was important to me." She said softly.

"Me too." He said honestly. "I begged Boot to let me have that one."

"Why?"

"Despite What others may think, I held quite a bit of respect for Remus Lupin. He taught us more in third year than we had learned collectively in all of our other years combined. I liked his approach, and attitude. Also, Nymphadora Tonks was my cousin. The only one I ever had. The more I learn about who she was the more I wished I could have had some kind of relationship with her. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out as they did."

She stepped closer and dared to put her hands around his neck. "I think you turned out just fine. You've overcome so much, Draco. Look at you. You're a highly sought after lawyer, every single case you've taken you've won."

For a brief moment he wondered how she knew that. He'd taken more cases than just hers, but every time her name came up on a docket he volunteered for it. Demanded it, truth be told. He placed his hands on her hips, gently pulling her closer to him as he did so.

"I've tried really hard to not be that ass I used to be."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. You're still an ass, but that's just part of how you get things done."

"Confidence is not even close to the same thing!" He nearly shouted right before dunked them both.

Hermione came up sputtering, while Draco laughed at her. "See what I mean!" She splashed water right in his face. She swam away laughing while he dove after her to chase her.

They swam for a while longer, then walked up and down the beach looking for shells. Hermione had picked up a few to bring them back with her. They made it back to their cabana and lounged while they read. Draco took one of Hermione's books she had brought on wizarding history, while she read her own about magical creature classifications, making notes in the margins for possible cases.

She was sitting sideways, with her legs draped over Draco's, watching him as he dozed off. They had a long, yet enjoyable morning, and it was quite the sight to see Draco Malfoy this relaxed. The warm breeze and the bright sun made it the perfect setting for a nap.

"How long has he been out?"

She looked up to see Blaise rounding the front of the cabana. She had to admit, the man did look sinfully good. His dark skin, perfect teeth and those baby blue swim shorts that fit in all the right places she was sure made him look irresistible to others. But he really had nothing on Draco she thought with a smile.

"Not long, maybe twenty minutes. We spent the morning together."

"Doing what exactly?" He raised his eyebrows to suggest his mind going to sexual acts immediately.

"Nothing like that." She said, rolling her eyes. "We went swimming, then walked along the beach. It was quite nice."

"Do you like him, Hermione?"

She was startled by the question. Should she answer him? It had to be obvious. She had been glued to his side for the last two days, how could it not be?

"Yes." She whispered.

"Then don't be afraid to do something about it. Trust me."

"You think so?" She blurted out. Her voice showing her hopefulness.

"Most definitely. I'll do whatever I can to help." With a wink he threw his towel over a pillow and walked away, no doubt in search of his next fling.

She looked over at Draco, who was still asleep, and thought about Blaise's words. Really, they probably did look like a couple they way they have been acting. If he didn't catch on that she had a thing for him then he was a stupid as a blast ended skrewt. There was no way that she would be able to keep up the charade for two weeks. She decided that she would have to tell him what she felt. What were the chances of him being here right now? Fate certainly had a funny way of doing things.

* * *

When Draco woke an hour later it was to his grumbling stomach.

"I'd say your hungry." Hermione quipped.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly one." Blaise called out.

Draco looked around and sure enough, the annoying sod was on a huge beach towel laying in the sun.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some sun, it's good for the soul." Blaise practically moaned.

"You don't need any sun." Draco retorted.

"We're not all vampires, Draco. Some people actually leave the house in the daylight. Half of London probably thinks your albino."

At that Hermione laughed, which made Draco sneer at her. "And here I was going to grace you with my presence at lunch."

She packed up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. Leaning in close she whispered to him. "I dare you to not follow me, Draco." Without another word she walked away.

"Don't even think about it." Blaise warned.

"What? I could do it."

"But why would you want to? Don't be an idiot, Draco."

Rolling his eyes he got up to follow Hermione. Realizing that his wallet was still in her bag, he ran to catch up with her.

"Couldn't resist me?" She joked.

"Please. You have my wallet. I need that thing to get into my room."

"You could have used Blaise's." She countered.

"Well... I didn't think about that."

"Mhm." She smiled to herself. "I saw a nice cafe we could walk to yesterday, if you really wanted to join me that is."

"I am pretty hungry." He quipped.

Once they got to their rooms she let him into hers and told him to just use the adjoining door, since she didn't want to fish around in her bag for his wallet.

"I want to shower quickly, then we'll be off. Just to rinse off the sea water."

"Sure. I'll go change, and wait for you then."

Deciding he should probably shower as well, he rinsed off then threw on a simple pair of khaki shorts and a crisp white button up. It had only been about fifteen minutes, so he knocked on her door just in case. When he heard her call out to him he went inside. She wore a coral colored maxi dress with a long slit going up one side.

"Nice dress."

"Thank you, It has pockets!" She said excitedly.

"Pockets?"

"Yes. Why they put fake pockets on women's clothing is completely lost to me. Anyway, ready?"

"Lead the way."

She went to the chair and grabbed her purse to head out, then handed him his wallet and she saw what he was wearing. He did look very nice, he could pull off anything. "You have flip flops on."

To her surprise he blushed. "I like the sound they make when I walk."

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. "Let's go."

They left the hotel and began a slow walk to the cafe. Handing him his sunglasses he gratefully took them and put them on, noticing her brown ones from earlier matched the dress she was wearing.

"I was thinking I would shop a bit too, if you didn't mind. I wanted to bring a few things back as souvenirs."

"Whatever you want to do." He answered without thinking.

They walked along the walkway and peaked into a few shops and gazed at the street vendors that were set up. Hermione had purchased a few post cards and several magnets, specifically for Arthur. She knew he would put the magnets on every possible surface.

The cafe was closer than Draco would have thought, much to his disappointment. He was hungry, but he wanted to prolong this day as much as he could. Once they were seated they both ordered water and sandwiches.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Hermione asked him.

"Very much. I've never been any place like this before. As a kid my parents always took me to busy places, cities mostly. I've never gone anywhere that I could just... relax."

"My parents always took me skiing. It's wonderful to go someplace warm for once."

"People will hardly recognize me when we get back." He joked.

"You do look nice with tan skin." She admitted.

"Is albino not your thing, then?"

They laughed through most of their lunch, Hermione found it quite enjoyable. It was the most care free she had ever seen him and she just couldn't get enough of it. They walked back to their hotel, on the opposite side of the street this time, and Hermione once again bought several things. For her nieces she bought each of them a set of bright colored nesting dolls, and the boys at least a dozen packages of glow sticks. Boys were so simple she thought, with a simple charm they would surely be entertained for hours with these things. They included crowns, bracelets, swords and even a few wands, which Draco got a laugh out of. She bought each child a cup that changed colors depending on if the drink was hot or cold, and a silly loopy straw to go with each. Draco had bought Teddy, James and Theo's son Toby kites, shaped to look like colorful parrots. He even bought a larger one for George, thinking maybe he could come up with a charm of some sort and use it as an idea for his shop.

Hermione had spotted a store that had several maxi dresses on display and she just had to drag Draco into that store to look around. She ending up buying three for herself, and one each for Ginny, Luna and Romilda. She got obnoxiously bright colored t shirts for Ron, Harry and George. Once they left that shop he boldly grabbed her hand and they walked just like that all the way back to their hotel.

They had been gone several hours and when they returned to their rooms Blaise was no where to be found. Deciding to just drop off their bags they headed down to the bar that sat beach side, thinking they would grab a drink and then walk the beach again for shells. Draco had spotted Blaise fairly quickly, and nearly steered them away so he could have Hermione all to himself, but decided against it and led her over to where Blaise was seated at the bar.

"Hello, there. Thought I'd been left all by my lonesome."

"Hello, Blaise." Hermione smiled as she sat down, with Draco between them.

"Dameon, a drink for my friends here." Blaise said with a smile.

The bartender walked over and asked what they had wanted. Draco was thankful Hermione ordered for him, since he had no idea what any of these drinks were. When the man came back over Hermione had a colorful little cocktail with a slice of pineapple and a cherry in it, while Draco had a dark drink with lots of bubbles.

"What is this?"

"Rum and coke. I think you'll like it."

He eyed it curiously then looked at hers. "And what's yours?"

"It's called sex on the beach. Try it." Without warning she shoved it at him and he took a sip.

"It's like juice."

"I know, they're dangerous. You can hardly taste the alcohol."

He sipped his own drink, and liked the way the bubbles felt in his mouth. "It's not bad." He said before he took another larger drink.

"So what have you two love birds been up to?" Blaise asked him as Dameon set another drink in front of him.

"Oh, we went shopping! Got a bunch of things. Tomorrow I'm going to lay on that beach all day long and not move an inch. I have to get some color on me!" Hermione held her arm to Draco to compare his color, then did the same to Blaise.

"You can't really use me as comparison, Love." Blaise chuckled.

"I didn't want you to feel left out." She flirted.

They had all talked and drank for another hour or so, when Blaise had suggested they order something to eat, otherwise Hermione would be drunk in no time. Settling on a few appetizers, they sat at the bar while they ate. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Blaise's flirting with nearly everyone that walked by. She did notice that he was paying special attention to the bartender though. The man certainly wasn't bad to look at. He was a touch shorter than Blaise was, with caramel color skin, and bright blue eyes that stood out against his dark hair he had pulled back into a bun. She looked at Draco who rolled his eyes, clearly he was seeing the same things she was.

"Fancy that walk?" He leaned in close and whispered to her.

"That sounds nice. We'll be back later, Blaise. Behave yourself."

"Yes, mother." He laughed out.

"He's certainly something." Hermione said as they walked away.

"He's a lover. He always _appreciated beauty_ as he calls it. I'm convinced he'll never settle down."

"It doesn't really seem to be his thing. I wonder if I could set him up with someone."

"Like who? Who would put up with him for the rest of their lives?"

"I'm not sure. Oh! What about Rebecca, she's single."

"Rebecca? That receptionist from the auror office? Hermione, no. She's boring, she'd never be able to keep up with him."

"Okay what about..."

"What about we not worry about who Blaise is going to shag for the rest of his life. He enjoys his life, and I will never tell him he has to change it."

"Fair enough." She conceded.

Once they made it to the beach she slipped off her sandals so she could walk barefoot. Draco did the same and took her shoes from her so she was free to look for shells. The sun was beginning to set and the rich colors of the sky made their little walk feel quite romantic. Draco decided to chance it and reached for her hand.

Hermione smiled as she looked at the sand when Draco grabbed her hand and held it while they walked. Something in her chest gave a little flutter, and she felt giddy because of it.

"So, Draco."

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you have a girlfriend? It's only fair I get to ask you. I don't think you've seen anyone since you started working for the Ministry."

"I was with Pansy for a bit after things settled from the war. Kind of an on off thing. Then I tried to date Astoria Greengrass, but that didn't work out either."

"Why not?"

"I had things that needed to be done." He said with a shrug. "I was trying to dig my name out of the mud, and was set on getting top marks during law school. Which I assume only happened since you decided not to be a lawyer." He nudged her shoulder, making her laugh at him.

"Good thing. I would have crushed you."

"Anyway, we just had different paths we wanted to take. She entered training to be a healer, which I was happy she did. She has talent and it would be a shame to waste it."

"And now?"

And now I'm hopelessly in love with you. Now there's only one woman I want and I'm too much of a coward to do anything about it because I've always been scared of rejection. He thought about if he should just blurt it out. _Hermione Granger, I love you._ How hard would it really be?

"Now, I do have someone that I like."

"Oh?" Her voice rose as she spoke, nervous about what he would say.

"She's a pain in my ass."

"Is that right?" She said sarcastically.

"Oh yes. A slave driver. She works all the time, but I find it to be one of the things that I love most about her. She cares so much about what she does. And to watch her... it takes my breath away." He finished softly.

"Do I know her?" She asked playfully.

"Maybe. She seems like someone you would like. Smart, loyal, brave, a complete know it all."

"Draco!"

"She's also funny, and adorable. And beautiful, so beautiful. She's..."

 _She's you._

This was it. It was now or never. Without saying anything he turned her to him and kissed her, and she wasted no time getting lost in him. Her hands tangled in his hair as he dropped their shoes to encircle her waist and draw her close.

"I want you, Hermione. I want to be yours. Because I have been staring at you for over three years, wondering if you feel the same way about me. Because I thought the fates hated me until I saw you on that plane. Because I can't shake the feeling of your hand in mine when I'm not with you. Because I honestly can't stand the thought of going back to my life and not having you in it as anything else but mine. I want you."

"Oh, Draco." She breathed, then pulled him down to her and kissed him. "I want you, too. I have for so long."

His mind was racing through what she just said. She's wanted him, too? He couldn't help but ask.

"For now long, exactly?"

"Since Remus's case." She answered softly.

"What?! Hermione, That was... three years ago."

"I know. I wanted to hate you. I really did. You were so arrogant, and annoyingly smart. Once I had seen you work though, I knew that you had changed, and it was all a front. You tend to intimidate people, but I wasn't fooled. The way you threw yourself into that case, Draco. From then on... it was one of the reasons I was so upset with myself for not being there when you actually tried that case. You were so passionate and I'm sure you were amazing."

"I wanted you there so badly, so I could prove myself to you."

"You already had."

"I feel incredibly stupid right now." He laughed out.

"Isn't that just a usual feeling from being around me?" She smirked.

"Hilarious." He said with a roll of his eyes, but smiled anyway. He leaned down to kiss her again, this time molding himself to her. Her body fit so perfectly into his, and he wondered just how far this was going to go tonight. Seeming to read his thoughts, Hermione gently pulled away and gazed into his eyes.

"Your room or mine?"

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

She raised her eyebrows at his question. Did he not hear anything that she just said? Bending down to pick up her shoes she began walking away from him. "My room it is then."

* * *

As they walked back to their hotel, Blaise caught a glimpse of them. Draco arm was around her shoulders, while hers was around his waist. If the kiss they shared after Draco had held the gate open for her was any indication of what was to come, his friend was in for the night of his life. Draco looked his way and Blaise raised his glass to him.

"About bloody time." He chuckled to himself. "Dameon, my love. What time do you get off tonight?"

* * *

Once they were in Hermione's room she threw her shoes in the corner and pinned herself to him.

"Hermione. Are you-"

"Sure? Yes. Now shut up, Draco."

He gave her a devilish smile and before she knew it, she was the one that was pinned against the wall. His kisses felt like fire on her neck, and it made her push back against him, loving the friction it created. Moving his hands to cup her bottom, he picked her up effortlessly, her legs instantly winding around his waist as he carried her to the bed. He took out his wand and lit the candles in the room, put up a silencing charm, and warded both doors. He wouldn't put it past Blaise to come barging in just because he could.

She stood to meet him and began to slowly unbutton his shirt, trailing kisses along his chest and shoulders as she did so. His breath hitched as she removed his shirt and pressed herself against him. Bending down to kiss her sweet lips, he pushed the straps of her dress down and let it fall to the floor. Her hands made quick work of his shorts, and once they stood before each other, in only their under clothes, he guided her back down to the bed. He pulled the covers away and she scooted up to the pillows.

He moaned into her mouth as he kissed her, still not quite believing that this was really happening. Her hips rose to grind against him and the feeling was euphoric. Completely forgetting what he was just thinking about, his free hand went to her hip to press her even closer to him, while his other got lost in her hair. Slowly moving his hand up to glide along her skin, he pulled at her bra until his fingertips met her breast.

Breaking the kiss to moan his name, Hermione moved her hands to feel the muscles on his back. His skin was so smooth, so perfect. She ran her nails along that perfect skin, making him suck in a harsh breath through his nose.

Once his hand skimmed her nipple she dug her nails into that perfect skin, making little red marks all along his back, she was sure.

"Draco." She breathed.

Cupping her perfect mound he trailed kisses along her jaw and neck, all while fondling her sensitive nipple. She whimpered when he removed his hand, but quickly became grateful that he hand unsnapped her bra and threw it to the floor. She gasped as his mouth found where his hand just was. She tasted magnificent. Taking her nipple between his teeth he tugged gently, loving the sounds she was making.

Pulling him to meet her lips she kissed him fiercely, and full of need. They had both waited so long for this, she really didn't want to rush it, but she needed him. She needed him now. Reaching down she pushed at the waste band of his boxers, hoping he would get the idea.

"Hermione." He whispered into her mouth.

"Please, Draco. Don't make me wait any longer." Hoping it would get him to comply, she began to wiggle out of her own panties. She smiled once he realized what she was doing and rolled off of her to rip his boxers off, enabling her to finally be rid of hers, too.

He took a moment then to admire her gorgeous body. "You're so beautiful."

"Come here."

Smirking at her eagerness, he nestled himself between her legs. Her heat set his skin on fire, she was like a drug to him. He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to worship every inch of her flawless skin, her amazing body. But he too had waited long enough, and he wanted to give her exactly what she wanted. Sliding a hand between them he let his fingers tease her entrance, while he placed wet kisses all along her neck. She moaned into his shoulder, trying to kiss any place she could reach. Fitting her own hand between them, she gently stroked his length, ripping a harsh breath from him. He withdrew his fingers to fist the sheets.

"Hermione." He breathed when she placed his already hard member at her entrance, begging him for more.

"I want you, Draco." Lifting her hips he felt her slick center against him, making him shudder. His self control was failing and she knew that. "I've dreamed of this. Please."

Looking into her eyes he could see the desire that was in them. He kissed her deeply and he pushed himself forward and entered her, painfully slow. She felt so damn good, so amazing that he felt like a schoolboy all over again and feared he would finish before they even started.

"Hermione, you feel... so perfect." He damn near panted.

"More, Draco." She moaned once he was fully inside her.

He began to move and it felt like ecstasy, and he loved every second of it. The way her nails dug into his shoulders, they way she cried out when he licked her very sensitive nipples. He couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He drove into her harshly as his body readied itself for release. When her movements became frantic and she started convulsing with her own orgasm, Draco finally let himself go. He collapsed on top of her, completely sated and in awe of what just happened. Rolling to his side he muttered a quick cleaning spell between them and curled her into him, every inch of her skin tucked against his.

"Wow." He breathed heavily.

"Yea." She placed lazy kisses all over his chest, admiring how fit he really was. She had the time now to really look at him, and he was even more beautiful up close. "What does this mean, Draco?"

Her question brought him out of his peaceful slumber. He was enjoying the attention she was giving him. "It means that I'm never letting you go." Snuggling against her once more, they ran their lazy hands all over each other, exploring as they went.

"Would you like a bath?" He murmured against her skin.

"Mmm. That does sound nice."

"I'll go and start one for us, then." After giving her a quick kiss he was out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

He ran the water and got out two fresh towels from the small closet and set them on the counter. When he looked up she was at the door with her hair pulled up high and held two vials of something in her hand.

"One is meant to relax sore muscles, and the other makes scented bubbles." She said as she poured them both into the bath water.

"Are you sore? I didn't mean to get so carried away."

"I'm not complaining at all. It's just been a while, Draco."

They stood there holding each other, giving gentle kisses until the tub was full. He climbed in first, then helped her in and nestled her into his chest.

He ran his hands along her skin, touching every part of her he could. He could feel the potion taking effect on his muscles, it had been a very long time for him, too. He watched as the bubbles teased him with the subtle view of her breasts as she breathed. The rise and fall of her chest making the game unbearable now that he knew exactly what they felt like. He moved to fondle both of them, her head falling back to lay on his shoulder.

"Draco." She moaned. Her hands that were resting on his thighs, now gripped them tightly as he continued to play. He let her nipples slide between his fingers, stroking each nub carefully. He never could have imagined how sensitive they were. The little buds soon became hard with the attention he was giving them, and her moans were music to his ears. Very carefully he moved one hand down between her legs and teased her slowly.

He smiled as she parted her legs as much as the tub allowed, her hips trying to push his finger deeper inside her. She arched back and his growing erection rubbed against the small of her back, drawing a low moan from him as well. She spun around to face him, spilling water over the side of the tub. Now straddling him, he had much better access to her sweet center, and pushed two fingers inside of her. Taking one of those beautiful nipples into his mouth, she cried out in pleasure.

She positioned herself above him, surprising himself with his body's reaction to their playing. She hadn't even touched him and he was already so hard for her. She sank down on top of him, letting him fill her up completely until her hips rested against his.

"Oh, fuck. Hermione." He groaned. He was buried so deep inside of her, and it felt so damn perfect.

She began to rotate her hips in slow circles, drawing out several moans from him as they went.

"Faster, Love." He pleaded.

More than ready to comply with his request, she moved back and forth faster and faster, making him hit that sweet spot hidden deep inside.

"Draco!" She panted.

He put his hands on her hips to help her move even faster, their grinding movements hitting her clit and turning her moans into screams.

"Don't. Stop." She managed to get out.

He felt her shudder all around him, ripping his name once again from her mouth. He pumped into her one final time, burying himself as deep as he could. She collapsed on top of him and he held her tightly running his fingers along her spine, enjoying the lingering shivers her body gave after such an intense orgasm.

"I think we've made quite the mess." He looked over and most of the floor was covered in water from the tub.

"I don't care." She said breathlessly.

He held her a while longer, just as she was, then moved her gently to fill the tub back up again and washed her properly, naturally giving special care to a few very important areas.

Lifting her up and and out of the tub he dried them both off then picked her up and carried her back to bed. After he cleaned up their mess from the bathroom he laid down beside her and immediately she wiggled over to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back gently. Her fingers making gentle trails across his chest.

"Hermione?"

"Mmm."

"I love you."

His voice was so full of emotion that when she looked up to see his face her heart skipped a beat. "I love you, too, Draco." She whispered back.

* * *

Hermione had no idea what time it was when she woke up, but was elated at the man that was still sleeping next to her. Their love making had continued on for most of the night, both of them trying desperately to make up for lost time. She laid next to him and gently ran her fingers through his soft hair, pushing it away from his face. This man was all hers, finally. She thanked the heavens that she had decided to book this trip on a whim, and also for Draco doing the exact same thing. When he began to stir next to her she wiggled closer to him, grazing her lips against his.

"Good morning." He said quietly. His eyes were still closed but he wore a smile on his face.

"Good morning." She gave a long and lazy kiss, making him moan.

"So It wasn't all a dream." He said as he opened his eyes.

"It would seem not. What shall we do now?"

"Well, first." He said as he rolled over and wrapped himself tighter around her still naked body. "I'd like to shag you as many times as I possibly can for the duration of this vacation."

"That can be arranged." She giggled.

"And second, the day we get back home I want you to move in with me."

"What?"

"You said it yourself, Hermione. It's time that you moved out of your flat with Weasley, and personally I've spent enough time away from you."

"And what if all of my things don't fit in your flat?"

"You've never seen where I live. Trust me, it will all fit. I'm sure that most of your stuff is books anyway. We'll be fine, love."

"It's not all books." She huffed.

"Oh?" A teasing smile on his face.

"Fine, maybe it is." She said with a roll of her eyes. "But unless you have a library with several extra shelves all of my books will never fit in your flat. I have a room at Grimmauld Place, too."

She stared at him.

He stared back.

"You do have a library, don't you?"

He considered keeping up the banter, simply because she was so adorable all worked up, but in the end he gave in. "Yes, I do have a library. You'll feel right at home."

"We'll discuss this more later." She scolded. "Maybe over breakfast... and a shower."

"Mmm. I like that idea. I will grab some clothes, and be right back for this shower."

After several more minutes of kissing, Draco tore himself away from his girlfriend. _His girlfriend._ Damn, he loved the sound of that.

"Why are you smiling just as your about to leave me?"

"I was just thinking about how much I love the phrase _Hermione Granger is my girlfriend_."

"It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" She said back, a little giddy herself.

"Indeed It does." He threw on his boxers and grabbed his wand from the nightstand and un-warded the adjoining door that led to his room.

He was surprised to hear the shower going, that meant that Blaise was already awake, either that or just coming back from being out all night. He thought about moving all of his things into Hermione's room, but wasn't sure if she would want that right away. She didn't really seem to shy away about moving in with him though, which made him unbelievably happy. Deciding he would bring it up later, he grabbed a change of clothes for today and went to the bathroom to grab his shower things.

"Morning Blaise." He said as he walked in, his eyes going to the shower and seeing that Blaise was not alone.

"Draco!" Blaise greeted as though he was seeing his friend after a long weekend, and not as though he was currently fucking another man in the shower. Draco of course didn't even blink in surprise, this was nothing new to either of them.

"Good night I take it? Sleep well and all that?" Draco joked.

"Haven't slept yet. Have we, my love?" Blaise leaned over the man in front of him and sucked on his earlobe, eliciting some very loud cries from his lover.

"Anyway, as fun as this has been, I'll be leaving now." Draco announced.

"I'll join you for breakfast. We're just about finished here." Blaise practically moaned out.

"Fine, Whatever." Draco said quickly has he grabbed his bag and damn near slammed the door in his haste to get the hell out of there.

Once he got back to Hermione's room he found that she had already started the shower, and called to him from the bathroom.

"Draco, that better be you! Because if it's Blaise I will not be happy!"

Draco chuckled to himself. He left the adjoining door unlocked but put a ward up around the bathroom, just in case.

"Blaise is a little... busy at the moment, but he does want to join us for breakfast." He said as he stripped down and got in the shower behind her.

"He wasn't alone?" She asked as she turned to face him.

Draco shook his head. "Remember the bartender from last night?"

"Yea, He... Oh." Hermione couldn't help but giggle. "Were they...?"

"Mhm. In the shower."

"Seems like the thing to do this morning." She said as she ran her hands down his chest until she reached the part of his body that she really wanted to touch.

"I'm not sure how much time we have." He moaned as her hand encircled his hardened erection, giving it a few long and slow strokes.

She stood on her tip toes and pulled him down to her. "I'm sure we can be quick." She whispered seductively.

Without further encouragement, he scooped her up and pinned her to the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist. The feeling of her slick soft skin rubbing up against his went right to his groin as he entered her in one swift movement, making her arch her back as much as she could. She inhaled sharply and he stopped to look at her, worried that he'd hurt her.

"Are you-"

"More." She demanded, before he could ruin the mood. There wasn't much she could do since she was sandwiched between his hard body and the wall, and she found that she quite liked that. She let him take her, fierce and fast, and when she felt her orgasm building she didn't fight it and completely lost herself to the feeling. Twice. She couldn't contain the high she was riding when Draco finally let himself finish, and even though she had done literally none of the work, by the time he had untangled her body from his and set her down slowly her legs were like jelly and her body was limp.

"Let me help you." He purred into her ear. He grabbed her shampoo and began to work it into her hair, massaging her scalp as he did so. She leaned against him, enjoying the feeling of being pampered by him. Once he soaped up a shower sponge and washed her entire body, his hands found her neck and shoulders and rubbed them gently as they stood under the water to rinse off. He quickly cleaned up himself, then stepped out of the shower and handed her a soft towel to wrap up in.

"I wouldn't mind showers like that everyday." She said, still breathless.

"Neither would I."

"What the hell, Draco?" Blaise shouted as he pounded on the bathroom door. "You can watch but I can't? That's not fair!"

"Go away." Draco moaned.

"You know that will never happen. I'll be waiting out here, love birds."

"Good thing I grabbed a dress to wear." Hermione said as she began to dry off.

Draco chuckled as he dried off and put a new pair of boxers on, then brushed his teeth quickly. "Take your time, he can wait." With a swift kiss he left Hermione to finish up while he went out to pacify Blaise.

"You're a pain in my ass you know that?" Draco huffed as he stood and threw his shirt on.

"I'd like to be." He tried to sound serious, even though he could barely keep a straight face as he said the words.

Draco just rolled his eyes and he put on a dark grey pair of shorts to go with his light blue shirt.

"So, Tell me everything." Blaise said with a grin.

Draco tried to school his features into a scowl but couldn't hide his smile. "We were walking on the beach and she asked me why I haven't dated anyone. Long story short I told her that I've secretly wanted her for years."

"And she said?!"

"That she felt the same way."

Draco's face lit up as he said it. Blaise was both relieved and excited for his best friend. If only he had listened to him nearly three years ago when this whole mess started! "And then what? You shagged right? Please tell me that after all of this you at least got a good shag out of it!"

"A few good shags, if you must know." Hermione said as she walked out of the bathroom. Her blue and purple tunic style dress went very nicely with her now tanned skin. Draco thought she looked magnificent.

"That was quick, you dried your hair and everything." He noticed that it fell in waves on her shoulders.

"I'm a witch, remember? I had this ass of a boy I went to school with that always reminded me how bushy my hair was. I've learned a thing to two."

"Weasley was such a prat, wasn't he?" Draco said to her, his face breaking out in a grin.

* * *

The three of them ordered breakfast and sat out on the balcony. Blaise asked Hermione for her side of the story on what exactly happened between them last night, and she surprisingly gave way more detail, much to Blaise's delight, and Draco's irritation.

"Do you have to encourage him?"

"Shut up, Draco. I'm making a lifelong friend here." Blaise chastised. "Please ignore him, Hermione. He's never had any manners."

"Relax, Draco. It's not like I said he could watch."

"Would you ever say that?" Blaise asked, hopefulness in his voice.

"No." Draco said immediately, making both his friend and girlfriend laugh hysterically. "I don't want you two round each other. At all. Ever."

"Oh, keep your pants on. He never could take a joke." Blaise said to Hermione, completely ignoring Draco's sneer. "You two can have all the time you want together today. I do need to rest at some point, I had quite the night myself."

"So I heard." Hermione smirked into her cup.

"Did you? Draco never tells the good stuff." Blaise winked at her. He was glad that she was so open about all of this. It made him hope that this would be more than just a fling she found on a random vacation, that she was really serious about Draco. Blaise knew that whether she realized it or not, she already had Draco's heart in her pocket, and his friend would never again have another woman in his life if this didn't work out.

* * *

The next week and a half seemed to both fly by and slow down. Hermione and Draco had spent nearly every minute of their time with each other, while they met Blaise for at least breakfast or dinner, depending on his antics from the night before. Time did seem to stand still during their love making at night. Their passion for each other fueling the desire that had been locked away inside them both. Draco would often just stare at Hermione while she slept, wondering how this whole thing possibly came to be.

During their days they shopped and swam and drank those fruity little cocktails that Hermione adored so much. They laid by the beach for hours in the bright sun and in the winding hours of the day. With nothing to care about but each other, the intensity of their relationship should have been alarming, yet neither could bring themselves to care. Hermione had told Draco that this has been what she's wanted, just as he told her that he really couldn't imagine going back to a life that didn't include her waking up to him every morning. When the topic of moving in together came up again, she assured him that she was ready for it too, and agreed to start packing the day they got back to England.

On their last full day together, they sat on Hermione's balcony watching the waves as they ate breakfast, Hermione nestled comfortably on Draco's lap.

"We leave tomorrow." He said to her, his voice gloom with just the thought.

"I know. It will be quite the shock getting back into everything. I haven't heard a single thing from back home, so everything is probably just as it was."

"Except now nothing will be as it was."

"Stop worrying, Draco. The moment we step off of that plane we can head straight to your flat, so I can finally see just how much I will love it."

"We'll have to tell all of our friends."

Hermione sorted. Actually snorted! "I'm sure they'll be thrilled that I'm no longer whining about how I can't seem to get you to notice me."

That made Draco laugh. "Same, I guess."

"See?" She said to him after a small kiss. "Everything will be fine."

Later that day they walked along the beach, even though they had done it countless times before, looking for shells. Hermione was overjoyed that she had seen a starfish, and rushed to put it back in the water when she spotted it. They swam and kissed and swam some more, meeting Blaise for dinner before claiming they had an early morning. Blaise was no fool though, he wanted one more tumble in the sheets before they left, too.

* * *

Hermione collapsed on top of Draco in a tangle of limbs and sweaty skin, their bodies still joined together from the passion. She would never tire of him, she just knew it.

Draco waited for his breathing to even out before he chanced speaking. "Hermione? Do you think that... you would ever not want me?"

"What?"

"I just mean, what if you get sick of me? We haven't spent any time apart in the last two weeks, and it's been wonderful. And now we're moving in together and I'll be damned if I stop demanding your cases, so we'll be pretty much working together, too."

"And you think that these last two weeks has been no indication that I have enjoyed every second I've got to spend with you?" She asked, a touch of annoyance in her voice. Really, she was lying naked on top of him, did he really think that she didn't love him? And then it hit her.

"Draco, I love you. If I can believe that you really have loved me for three years after just these last two weeks, then you should know that I felt the same way. I have watched you every single day. I have wished and dreamed and hoped that one day this very moment would happen, and it did. So I can tell you, that I am never letting you go, either."

And in that moment, he did know. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, Draco." She trailed her kisses from his lips to his jaw. "So much. I can't wait to finally start this life together."

She licked his neck and sucked on his pulse point, making him moan and lift his hips up. She could feel him getting hard inside her and it was such a turn on. She thought she had the upper hand as she began grinding down into his hips, but when his hand grazed her nipple and she let out a gasp of pleasure he easily flipped them so he was on top.

"You, Hermione Granger, will be the death of me." He said as he fondled her breast, pulling on that delicate nipple. "Now I fear that we'll never leave the bedroom once we return home. You are simply irresistible." He moved his hand to the other breast, making her buck up against him.

"That's a very definite possibility." She panted. "You're a Malfoy after all, we won't need to work."

The low laugh that he gave sent chills of excitement down her body. "Don't tempt me, love."

Their battle for dominance lasted nearly until the sun came up, with each of them getting only two hours of sleep. Hermione assured him that they could sleep on the plane, and knew for a fact that Blaise was just being an ass the first time around and had several calming droughts and sleeping potions with him. With their things already packed, they woke Blaise and headed down to the lobby to check out while they waited for him.

Much to Draco's surprise and anger, Blaise did in fact have several potions with him for the trip home. The three of them were able to swap seats with other guests so they could all sit together this time, which really didn't matter since all three were passed out and stayed that way for most of the flight home.

* * *

Hermione followed Draco and Blaise to the luggage claim, smirking to herself the entire time, when she heard a very familiar voice call out.

"Hermione Granger, party of one!"

She whipped around and ran straight for Harry, throwing herself at him. "Harry!"

"Hey! Missed me, did you?" His arms came around her and he held her tight.

"Oh, Harry, I have so much to tell you!" She said into his shoulder.

"Like what? Did you have a good time?"

"The best time! Truly!" She beamed at him as he pulled away from her. As if on cue Draco and Blaise came up and stood beside her.

"Potter!" Blaise said lightheartedly. "You'll never guess who we found on our little trip!"

Harry looked from Hermione, to Zabini to Malfoy. "I can only imagine."

"Well, you better get thinking, because have I got a story to tell you!" Before Hermione or Draco could get a word on, Blaise was leading him away, giving a very detailed play by play of their trip. By the time that they had made it outside the airport and walked down the street to the closest apparition point, Harry finally turned around and saw that Draco and Hermione were behind him, holding hands and looking nervous.

"So it is true." He gazed at their joined hands and they both nodded. "Well, if you're really moving in with him I want to see the place."

"Harry-" Hermione began to say, clearly there was more she wanted to discuss, but Blaise cut her off.

"Well let's go then!" He grabbed Harry by the arm and disaparated.

Draco groaned and he ran his hand down his face. "Let's go. I'm sure the idiot is already filling Potter's head with all kinds of nonsense."

"Right." This was certainly not the way she wanted this to go.

They landed on the front step of a huge house. Hermione stepped back in awe. "Draco! You said you lived in a flat! This is not a flat!"

"I never said the word flat, love. You implied that's what I had. This is the townhouse that I live in, and Blaise resides next door."

She took in the cobblestone Victorian town house, leaning back to see just how tall it was. "It has four stories! Wait. Wait, wait. You said live in, not own. Do you own more than one?"

"Blaise and I pretty much own the block." He said with a shrug. "It's actually become quite the place to live, so I'm told. There's a shared courtyard in the back. Blaise does own more than I do, but it is something to fall back on should I ever get bored. Which I don't see happening."

She was still standing there staring at the house like fish out of water while he was explaining. No wonder the prick was so bloody confident all of her things would fit.

"Want to go in?"

"Yes!" She screeched. He pulled her close and they both went up the stairs to go inside. She could only imagine what the inside looked like. "How many bedrooms?"

"Four. There's also four bathrooms, a potions lab, library, study, and everything else you would expect in a regular house."

"Oh, is that all?" She said sarcastically as he opened the door.

Before he could get out a snarky retort, they were met by a crowd of people.

"What the hell?" Draco asked no one in particular, in shock of all these people standing in his house. "Blaise. Speak. Now."

"So pleasant, isn't he?" He said to the crowd behind him, his comment earning a few laughs.

Hermione took note of who all was here. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Romilda, George and Angelina, Bill and Fleur, Percy and Audrey, Luna, Neville, Theo and Daphne, Astoria, Pansy and Adrian, Lavender, Hannah and Michael Corner, hell even Charlie, Andromeda, Arthur and Molly were here! Wait... and was that? Lucius and Narcissa?!

"What are you all doing here? There must be at least thirty uninvited guests in my house right now!"

"Twenty-five." Hermione corrected, earning her a glare from Draco. "What? I'm just telling you the right answer. There's twenty-nine, including you and I, Harry and Blaise. That leaves twenty-five."

"You sure this was a good idea, Mate?" Hermione heard Ron whisper to Harry.

"Harry."

They both knew that tone. She wanted answers and was getting impatient. "Okay, now don't be upset, but really, Hermione. Did you honestly think that you and Draco met by complete chance?"

"We did! I was already on the plane and-"

"Wait a minute." Draco said over her. "What are you talking about?"

"Let us start from the beginning, shall we? I don't have all night to discuss how we basically had to force you two together to get anything going." Blaise said to both of them.

After twenty minutes and several drinks, Draco was smirking into his glass of firewhiskey, clearly impressed with the current turn of events, while Hermione was pinching the bridge of her nose.

"So let me get this straight." She huffed. "I told Harry I booked a vacation, alone, and he went and told you."

Blaise nodded.

"And you in turn booked a vacation for yourself with the exact details Harry gave you, plus secret arrangements for Draco."

"How did you even know that I would accept?"

"Are you kidding, Malfoy?" Ron laughed. "The moment you heard Hermione was going to be gone for two bloody weeks and you wouldn't be able to stalk her and lurk around corners we knew Blaise could talk you into it."

Draco felt his cheeks flush. "Alright, moving on."

"After I got your ass on that plane all I had to do was make sure that you saw each other. Which Hermione made crystal clear that she wanted that exact same thing when she suggested adjoining rooms."

"I did not-"

"Water under the bridge." Blaise dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I will admit though, that things moved along quicker than I thought. I flooed Potter on our third night and told him it was a done deal."

"What?" Draco and Hermione burst out.

"You act like we were completely cut off from society. I am a wizard, I know where the contact points are. We weren't that far from one of the international consulates of Magic."

"And after Blaise's second floo call, detailing your plans to move in, we decided to give you a little help with that." Harry finished.

"You're all here to help me move in?"

"We've already done that." Ginny said with a wave of her hand. "We're all here to celebrate!"

"You- she's all moved in?" Draco sputtered.

"Yup." Ron announced. "I hope we did alright, Hermione. We all know how Umm, picky you are."

Hermione didn't know what to say. Her eyes began to get watery as she looked around the group of people before her. She would never admit it, but she was a little nervous about what everyone would say, turns out that was just a waste. She should have known that her friends knew exactly what needed to be done. That's what they did after all, looked out for each other. She ran to Harry and Ron and engulfed them in a hug, then Ginny, then Blaise, then everyone else.

"So, Everything alright?" Blaise said as he wandered over to Draco.

"I owe you." Draco said quietly. "I owe you a lot."

"Please, this was nothing. Just good timing, don't you think?" And with that, he went to mingle.

Draco made his way over to Hermione, where she had finally found his parents lingering in the back.

"Hermione, dear! Isn't this exciting!"

"Thank you, Andy. It's quite the... surprise." She said to Andromeda as she pulled away from a hug.

"Andy, your making the poor girl nervous." Narcissa said bluntly.

"I think that's all you, Cissy." Her sister said with a smirk.

"Mother, father." Draco said he put his arm around Hermione's waist.

"Draco, darling. It's so good to see you." Narcissa cooed as she leaned in close to hug her son. "I do believe I have Hermione to thank for that. We both know you would have put off visiting your poor mother for at least a week after your return."

"Oh, I'm sure that Draco would never show that level of disrespect towards his mother." Hermione said as she turned to Draco as well. Why did he feel like he was suddenly trouble with both of them? He hadn't even done anything yet.

"So, you all knew?"

"That you two have been infatuated with each other?" Lucius pretended to ponder. "Yes, we did. At least Mr. Potter had the good sense to scheme about it." Draco thought the man actually looked proud.

"You knew about this?" Draco said in awe. "So that day that I came to the Manor and we met in your study and you were asking those completely random questions about my job and the house and..." Draco looked up at him.

"And what you would do when one of your children is in Gryffindor. Tell me, son. Has your answer changed?"

Draco did something he has never done in public. He hugged his father, and didn't let go for quite some time.

* * *

It was well passed midnight by the time Draco was able to round everyone up and get them out of his hair. If he was honest with himself though, he really couldn't be upset by it at all. It was his friends and family that had done what he never could. He watched as Hermione gave her last hugs to her closest friends.

"Quidditch next Saturday, Draco!" Harry called out. "You've missed the last two now. Wouldn't want you to get rusty."

"Yea, yea. Get out of my house already." Although there was no malice behind his threat.

"Our House." Hermione corrected.

"You sure this is what you want? Hermione correcting you for the rest of your life?"

Hermione slapped Ron on the shoulder at the same time as Romilda smacked him on the back of the head.

"For the rest of my life." He said quietly as he kissed Hermione's temple. He held out his hand and both Harry and Ron shook it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Harry said with a smile. "We'll leave you alone now, but Ginny will expect full details about your trip at some point, Hermione."

"Yes, Harry. We have presents too, if I can I'll stop by tomorrow or Monday."

She watched as they flooed away, then turned to Draco once everyone had left.

"So, welcome to your new house, I guess." He said nervously.

"Well, show me around!"

He took her hand and led her around the house, pointing the the basement door where his potions lab was. Starting with the first floor that held the very spacious living room, dining room, one bathroom and kitchen. The second floor held Draco's study, which could easily hold her entire office at the Ministry, with room to spare. Also, to Hermione's immediate joy, the library. She had never seen a private collection this massive before. The walls were filled floor to ceiling with books, and the furnishings Draco had picked for the room she could have picked herself. The third floor held three guest bedrooms, and two full bathrooms.

"The fourth floor, is entirely ours." He said as they made their way up the final set of stairs.

"The master suite takes up an entire floor?"

"I know, it's a little small, but I make due."

If she had a witty comment it was forgotten the moment he opened the door. The beautiful grey and gold room took her breath away. The king sized bed was covered in a silver bedspread with white and gold pillows, and black curtains tied at each post. The bed, end tables, and settee at the end of the bed were all black, while the floors and walls where a very cosy grey. The pillows on the settee were gold and matched the lamps and sconces on the walls. The far wall was floor to ceiling windows, with heavy black drapes at both sides.

Draco stood watching her nervously. He must have caught her confused look, since he led her over to a door that led to the walk in closet, which again could fit her entire office in it, and then to another door that led to the master bath.

"Oh." She practically moaned. This was a dream, it had to be. The lavishness of it all was beyond her.

"There's more." He pulled her out of here little trance and led her to the final door that was their private sitting room. It was filled with cosy furniture, soft lighting, and bookshelves on nearly every wall.

She whipped around and faced him so fast he thought she should have tumbled over. "Draco."

"Yes?"

"When did you buy this house?"

"Um-"

"When, Draco?!"

"I should say that I've owned it for a while. I just moved into it however... two years ago."

"Two years ago. When Ginny and Harry finally redid Grimmauld Place, two years ago? When you came over to help them get everything old moved out and everything new moved in two years ago? When I told Ginny what my dream house would look like!"

"... maybe around that time, yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?! Why didn't you say anything then? Do you know why I picked gold and grey? Because it wasn't as obvious as red and green! Gold for me, and grey for you. Draco..."

"I told you I was scared of rejection, Hermione! You were just barely broken up with Ron at the time. I know it's no excuse but I just couldn't do it."

Draco took the silence in the room as a bad thing and panicked when she turned away from him. "Please don't be upset with me, I just didn't know how to tell you that I've been so in love with you for so long now. Hermione, please look at me."

He turned her gently and saw that she was crying, it made his heart shatter.

"We wasted so much time." She whispered.

"I know, and believe me, I'm so sorry."

* * *

After they had both calmed down they settled in for bed. Draco was still nervous about her reaction but Hermione assured him that she was fine, and if anything it just proved their devotion to one another even more. Hermione was delighted to see that even her clothes were put away.

"So. This has been a day." Draco said as he rubbed her back while she laid next to him.

"It has. At least we didn't have to worry about how to tell everyone."

"My parents took it rather well." Draco said, still a little stunned at that.

"I would hope so. I meet your mother for lunch all the time, and Lucius and I have had many dinners together over some of the laws I've-"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Hermione looked up at him. "They never told you this? Really? Huh. I wonder why. Draco, I've had dinner with your father at least once a month for nearly four years."

Draco just stared at her a moment. His brain couldn't possibly be expected to comprehend what she just said. _Hermione Granger has regular dinners with Lucius Malfoy at least once a month._ What?

"I guess it makes sense. In his own weird way he's most likely been pushing me towards you ever since then. He praises you quite often."

Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing, the absurdity of it all amazed her.

"Hey, did you see Blaise leave? I can't believe he left and didn't say anything, he never shuts up."

"Oh! He left with Lavender. Do you think it will work? I was sort of trying to get them to talk to one another earlier."

"Lavender Brown? You're joking right?"

"Just think about it! She's very pretty, and devoted-"

Draco let out a snort, which Hermione ignored.

"-She's very... passionate. I know she'll be able to keep up with him. You know she was attacked by Greyback during the final battle, and her, ah, libido changed a bit... with that."

It took Draco a minute to understand what she was saying. "Her sex drive-"

"Is perfect for him."

"We might never see either of them again." He joked. Secretly though, and he couldn't believe he felt this way, he hope it worked. "Speaking of... I believe that this bed needs christening." He rolled over to face his girlfriend and kissed her like she was leaving him tomorrow.

"I think you're right. Draco, I love you."

"I love you, Hermione."

They repeated those words to each other for the rest of the night.

* * *

The following year, Hermione and Draco found themselves right back in room 424, with Blaise and Lavender in room 422. Draco of course waited until their third night there to propose to Hermione, and of course Blaise floo called Harry the next day and told him that their plan, yet again, worked out perfectly. Hermione and Draco of course couldn't believe that it had happened again, because really, _what were the chances?_


End file.
